Bear Mounts Boat, Mauls Fisherman

A black bear swam across the Gordon River, climbed in a boat, and mauled a fisherman before being killed by several fishermen.

Experts are amazed, though they admit the area in Victoria, Canada is a hotspot for bear activity. Owners in the area say they contacted experts at least twice this season and were told nothing could be done unless and until a bear attacked someone. The experts claim the population has to take more personal responsibility in the matter - cleaning up after themselves, picking up trash, and not leaving fish and fish parts out which will attract the bears.

The attack is nearly unprecedented. Bears are usually fairly docile and flee from humans, but this bear was old and in poor health, which could have contributed to its boldness. For a bear to purposefully swim across a river, brazenly embark a boat, and actually attack someone is almost unheard of.

The other fisherman in the boat tried attacking the bear to stop it, but was unsuccessful. Several fishermen were able to fell the bear with improvised weapons.

The attack occurred this past Tuesday evening.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008